


There's Something About Him

by seeulatersk8er



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Bisexual Stiles Stilinski, Canon-Typical Violence, Derek Hale Deserves Nice Things, Derek Hale is Bad at Feelings, First Kiss, Gay Derek Hale, How Do I Tag, I haven't published a fic in years, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Road Trips, Stiles Stilinski Has ADHD, Stiles Stilinski Has Nightmares, Stiles Stilinski Has Panic Attacks, Stiles Stilinski is a Nice Thing, Stiles is 18 Derek is 24, Stiles is insecure, im kinda lazy, not really an au but not canon, sterek, there's only one bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:28:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26675935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seeulatersk8er/pseuds/seeulatersk8er
Summary: Stiles has an awkward crush, Derek refuses to feel anything, and there's only one bed. What could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Allison Argent/Scott McCall (Implied), Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 13
Kudos: 150
Collections: Rainy Day Reads, Sterek Ship (haljoy26)





	1. Chapter 1

**STILES**

Stiles flopped down on his bed with a sigh. Another long day of listening to Scott monologue about Allison and her hair, Allison and her eyes, the way Allison smiled, Allison and her body.. He shuddered, burying his face in his pillow. Stiles remembered when he was like that with Lydia, and all the girls he liked for that matter. 

When his mom died, the therapist the school sent him to told him to keep a journal and boy did he rant about the way that (insert crush of the week) looked at him in class, the way that they smiled, yada yada yada. Then Stiles realized that he didn’t just think about girls, he thought about  _ guys _ too and it got too much to handle. He stopped keeping a journal and tried his best to just think about girls, he could handle girls, but guys were another story. Danny was the only other not straight dude at school and he wasn’t about to walk up to him and be like “ _ Hey man! I know we aren’t friends but can you tell me how you deal with liking guys? And also how do you know if you even like guys and aren’t just liking them as a friend? Oh, also what do you do if the guy you might be crushing on probably wants to rip your throat out? Thanks, see you in class!”  _

He groaned and rolled over, staring at his ceiling. Why couldn’t he have just had his sexual awakening crush on Scott or Jackson or something, not Derek fucking Hale, a werewolf who could literally kill him with one hit. Best of all, he  _ knew  _ he had exactly zero chance with him but the feelings wern’t going away. No matter how much he ignored them or tried to jerk them off, the stupid fantasies of stupid Derek and his stupid leather jacket and his stupid hair showing up and telling Stiles that “ _ I’m sorry that I’ve tried to kill you and your best friend multiple times but I just can’t handle my repressed gay feelings for you! Now let’s kiss and drive off into the sunset in my stupidly expensive car!”  _ wouldn’t leave him alone _.  _ Stiles rolled over on his side and screamed and flailed up when he saw Derek standing there. 

“How long have you been standing there?” Stiles shrieked, his face burning.

“Since you got back. You should really pay more attention to your room.” Derek said calmly, which made Stiles' face burn more.

“Wh- Why are you here? What are you doing here? Why are you in my room?” Could werewolves read thoughts? 

“I need your help.” 

“Help? What do you need help with?” Stiles knew his voice was cracking but he tried his best to sound calm.

“I’ll tell you on the way. We need to get going.” Derek opened Stiles’ bedroom door and started ushering him out.

“Wait, no, Derek, I have homework, my dad’s going to be home soon, I've gotta work on my college application, I can’t just go parading off with you.” He put his hands up and took a step back.

“Stiles, I will carry you out of here if I have to. Let’s. Go.” Oh to be carried anywhere by Derek Hale. 

“Can you at least tell me  _ where  _ we’re going? No? No. Okay, great! Time to go get murdered-” Derek pushed Stiles forward and he yelped. “Alright! We’re going, we are leaving, let’s go!” 

As they sat in silence in Derek’s car, Stiles tried to figure out what the fuck they could possibly be doing. Embarrassingly enough, he actually didn’t  _ hate  _ being alone with Derek. Even if he had no chance, he was happy to spend just a fraction of time with him, but he couldn’t tell Derek that. 

“So… Can you tell me what’s going on now? Or am I just supposed to sit here and try to figure it out on my own?” Stiles heard Derek sigh from the driver’s seat but he avoided looking at him.

“I need you to trust me on this. Please” Stiles caved and looked over at the driver and was surprised to see that he looked almost.. Desperate? 

“Fine, but I’m putting on some music. Silence is terrifying.” 

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What are you supposed to do when your super hot werewolf crush kidnaps you to go find his supposedly alive sister? Stiles wish he knew.

**STILES**

“You don’t like the Beatles? I don’t know what’s wrong with you dude, this is groundbreaking music.” Stiles rolled his eyes and scrolled through his music library.

“It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just not my kind of music.” Derek mumbled from the driver’s seat and Stiles gasped, emotionally wounded.

“And what is your kind of music, huh? Morbid goth piano?” He didn’t look up from his phone but he heard Derek sigh which made him smile a little. 

“Do you only have classic rock on your phone? Or do you have anything past the 60s?” 

“My dad and I have the same taste in music, it’s a common interest. And yes, I have the obligatory My Chemical Romance album but we’re not going to talk about that phase. Beyoncé? I think I have some Bob Dylan on here too… Elton John, Ramones…”

“Just pick something, Stilinski. We’re not going to be driving for long. I just need to stop by my loft to grab some supplies and then we can go.” 

Stiles just put his music library on shuffle and stared out the window, watching the sky as they drove. He wasn’t good at decisions, a wonderful side effect of his ADHD. That and he wanted to impress Derek, he wanted to come across as interesting but deep down, he really didn’t feel that interesting. Here he was, a human who was friends with banshees, werewolves and kitsunes. Compared to any of his friends, he was deeply average. Maybe even below average, he couldn’t even manage to get through an entire math class without bursting out with some annoying joke that got him sent to the principal’s office. It was a wonder he wasn’t suspended yet, but at least he had his good grades to keep him afloat. He was planning on applying to the FBI after college but he had to figure out where he was going fist, and how he was going to get money for it. He'd been applying to scholarships like crazy but his choices were stretching thin. 

The car pulled in front of Derek’s loft and Derek got out, hesitating for a second.

“Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.” 

“Yeah, of course, leave the scrawny human to fend for himself, that’ll go great.” Stiles mumbled once Derek was out of earshot, turning up the music. 

A few songs later, Derek returned to the car, holding a green duffel bag.

“We need to go back to your place and you need to pack a bag.” Stiles sat up and rubbed his eyes.

“Wh- A bag? Why do I need a bag? Where are we going?” Derek got into the driver's seat and pulled out of the driveway, looking a little panicked.

“Texas.” 

“Texas? Why the fuck are we going to Texas? I can’t go to Texas! Derek, what the hell is going on?” Stiles could feel his heart start to speed up and he knew Derek could hear it. 

“My sister is alive. Or at least I think she is. I got a text from an unknown number about a week ago supposedly from Cora and then yesterday I got another text telling me that she was in Texas.” Derek was speeding and Stiles hoped to god they didn’t get pulled over.

“Why can’t you get anyone else? Scott? Allison?” What good was Stiles in a fight?

“I needed you because you’re the smartest and I can actually stand being in a room with you. Occasionally.” 

“Occasionally? Thanks dude, you really know how to make a boy feel special.” Stiles could feel his cheeks burn a little.

“We need to leave as soon as your bag is packed. If you want to get back for school on Monday, we’ll only have Saturday to find Cora and then we have to drive home.” Derek was rushing his words and Stiles was getting increasingly worried.

“Do we know what’s in Texas or are we just blindly going in with a half-assed plan?” He got no response and he groaned, letting his head hit the headrest of the seat. 

They pulled up in Stiles’ driveway and Derek shut off the engine, turning to look at him. 

“Tell your dad that you’re staying at Scott’s. Just grab enough for a couple of days, there’s not much room in the car and I don’t know if we’ll be able to get rooms.” Stiles nodded and got out, noticing that his dad still wasn’t home. 

He quickly scrawled out a note and left it on the kitchen counter for his dad and then ran up the stairs, grabbing a change of clothes, his phone charger and his pillow. Stiles hesitated for a second before grabbing his bat, not sure what to expect. 

When he got back to the car, he barely did up his seat belt before Derek pulled out of the driveway, their road trip beginning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as mentioned in the tags, i have not really written anything in awhile so i apologize for the short chapters! i have no idea how long this will be but hopefully i'll start publishing longer chapters! my posting schedule may also be quite irregular because of school and just generally not feeling like writing anything. i also wasn't expecting so many people to read this, thank you for all the kudos! stay safe!- ricky <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song at the end of the chapter is julia by the Beatles :) i thought it fit well for stiles and derek! - ricky <3

**STILES**

At first, the road trip was awkward and quiet but eventually Derek came out of his shell and Stiles was in awe of this New Derek. He cracked jokes and sung along to songs, this side of Derek made Stiles even more infatuated.

“Did you know that Elton John used to skip his classes at the Royal Academy of Music because it was too boring for him?” Stiles was so glad he could spout off random facts about musicians, he absolutely had enough for a road trip.

“I did not, that's interesting.” Derek hummed along to the Lady Gaga song that Stiles forgot he had downloaded.

“Yeah, he used to ride the train around and go record shopping. He’s got like, a photographic memory for music. Is there a word for that?” 

“No idea. Oh hey, let’s pull over at this gas station here. You run in and get some snacks, I trust your judgement.” Derek handed Stiles a twenty-dollar bill and he stared at it. “Stiles, you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good, I’m great. I’m just not very used to this uh, Not Alpha Derek. It’s nice to see you let loose.” Stiles thought he saw a hint of a smile as he got out of the car and walked up to the store.

He looked around and started browsing the aisles, picking up a bag of jerky, some chips, a bag of Twizzlers and tried to think what Derek would like. 

“You might want a drink with that.” Stiles jumped when he saw Derek behind him.

“Jesus dude, warn me before you sneak up on me. I don’t actually know what you like, I’m really just basing this off the one time me and my parents drove to Canada. I was like, 7 at the time so I don’t actually remember it very well. I haven’t been on a road trip since, or on any vacation since then. I’ve been to Disneyland once with school, and like trips and stuff like that-”

“Stiles.”

“My dad’s just been too busy with work and we really haven’t had enough money to go anywhere either-”

“Stiles. Stop talking.” Derek grabbed Stiles’ arm and pulled him into the bathroom.

“Wh-”

Derek gave him a stare that shut him up. He heard people talking through the wall and he looked at Derek questioningly but the only answer he got was a shake of his head. There goes Fun Derek, welcome back Alpha Derek.

Stiles realized two things suddenly. One, he and Derek were in very close quarters and his arm was still in Derek’s hold. Two, he still had an armful of snacks he had not paid for. Derek finally let go of his arm and exhaled, looking stressed.

“Who was that? What’s going on?” Stiles asked once they had gotten back to the car and paid for the snacks.

“Hunters.” Derek was back to one word answers and sullen silences which disappointed Stiles, he was starting to get used to a more relaxed Derek.

“Hunters? Like the Argents? What are they doing here?” They pulled out of the gas station, Derek keeping an eye on the rearview mirrors.

“This is an older family. I don’t think we’re the only ones looking for my sister.” Derek said cryptically which creeped Stiles out.

They sat in silence once again, Stiles overthinking the moment in the bathroom. Derek could’ve very easily let go of his arm as soon as they got in, did he mean to hold on to him for so long? He knew his heart was starting to race and it was getting a little hard to breathe, but his mind wouldn’t stop jumping to conclusions. Why did he constantly fall for people who would never, ever like him back at all? What was there even to like? He knew what people say about him behind his back, he hears all the jokes and whispers.  _ He’s the one with the dead mom, he’s the one who’s always on the bench at games, he’s the one who never focuses in class, have you heard about his dad? His dads the sheriff, he never solves any cases. No wonder he’s like that, he’s obviously got some problems.  _

“Stiles? Are you okay?” He noticed the car had stopped and Derek was looking at him, concerned.

His breath was coming in ragged spurts and he shook his head, avoiding Derek’s eyes. He shut his eyes tight and tried to drown out the noise in his head. 

“Stiles, look at me. Hey, look up.” He felt Derek softly tip his head up and he forced himself to look in his eyes. “Breathe with me, okay? Four in, four out. You’re okay.” 

They sat at the side of the road silently for a few minutes, Derek’s hand softly on his cheek, the warmth distracting him from all of the thoughts. Once his breathing evened out, Derek smiled softly.

“Are you okay now?” Derek let go of his face and he immediately missed the warmth.

“Yeah. Let’s get driving, we don’t want to lose any valuable searching time.” Stiles turned the music back on and leaned against the window, ignoring the tears pricking his eyes.

_ “Half of what I say is meaningless _

_ But I say it just to reach you, Julia _

_ Julia, Julia, ocean child, calls me _

_ So I sing a song of love, Julia _

_ Julia, seashell eyes, windy smile, calls me _

_ So I sing a song of love, Julia _

_ Her hair of floating sky is shimmering, glimmering _

_ In the sun _

_ Julia, Julia, morning moon, touch me _

_ So I sing a song of love, Julia _

_ When I cannot sing my heart _

_ I can only speak my mind, Julia _

_ Julia, sleeping sand, silent cloud, touch me _

_ So I sing a song of love, Julia _

_ Hmm, hmm, hmm, calls me _

_ So I sing a song of love for Julia _

_ Julia, Julia” _

  
As they drove with only John Lennon's voice breaking the silence, Stiles realized that they had forgotten drinks.   
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles wishes he could stop his thoughts from going all over the place but he's never that lucky.

**STILES**

Stiles must’ve fallen asleep at some point because when he woke up, it was dark and he had no idea where they were. Derek was humming along to an Elton John song that was playing and he looked over at Stiles with a soft smile.

“I figured you needed some rest. We’re still a few hours out from the motel so you can go back to sleep if you need to.” This was an even newer side of Derek, a much softer Derek.

Stiles stretched out his legs as much as he could, letting out a yawn. “I’m fine now. Anything interesting happen while I was out?”

“Not really. You missed a great solo performance of Pinball Wizard though.” Derek grinned. He actually grinned, full teeth in all of their blinding white glory.

“I don’t know if I actually want to hear that but thanks for the mental image.” Stiles wasn’t being totally sarcastic, the image of Derek singing along to Elton John was odd enough to clear some of the fog from his brain.

That always happened after a panic attack. He’d get exhausted, mentally and physically, then his brain would feel foggy and he’d usually feel like shit for awhile, depending on how severe the attack was. He didn’t feel as shitty now though, he felt more at ease and the brain fog was less thick.

“Are you feeling better from earlier?” Ah, the usual  _ I just watched you have a panic attack in my car and now I have no idea what to say or do because I don’t want you to lose it again.  _

“Yeah. A little foggy, but the nap helped. Have you opened the jerky yet? I’m hungry.” Deflect, deflect, deflect. 

“No, I haven’t. It should be in the back of the car.” Stiles leaned back and reached around the back seat, trying to find it. 

“Hold on, let me get it.” 

“No, I’ve got it.” He grabbed the bag and groaned as he leaned back up. “See? Got it.”

Derek sighed and Siles grinned, opening up the bag. Over the next hour or so, Stiles and Derek did a beautiful rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody and discovered that Derek had the talent to catch jerky in his mouth while he was driving. They went through half the bag of jerky, Stiles laughing his ass off the whole time.

By the time they made it to the motel, Stiles' ribs hurt from laughing, his cheeks were sore from smiling and any thoughts of his panic attack were in the past. Derek instructed him to wait in the car while he checked them in so he reclined his seat and laid back, feeling very alive. Being with Derek did that to him, he made him feel like he was worth something, like he was useful. Stiles definitely had crushes before but Derek made him feel normal. Derek was a fucking werewolf but he made Stiles feel like he wasn’t crazy or weird, he felt like he wasn’t the freak in the room. Not that Derek was a freak, or any of his supernatural friends, they were surprisingly normal for a rag tag group of oddities. He did pine for the easier days when the biggest worries in his life were lacrosse and school work, not werewolves and monsters. 

“Stilinski.” Derek reappeared by the window, making Stiles jump.

“Stop sneaking up on me, dude, Jesus.” He sat up, rolling his eyes.

“Sorry. Our room is all set up, but uh. Well, you’ll see when we get there.” Derek looked visibly uncomfortable but Stiles grabbed his bag and followed Derek to their room.

As Derek fumbled for their room key, Stiles realized how conspicuous this looked to the naked eye. Two guys, one stupidly attractive and masculine, the other a rocking twink. If this were a porno, the second they got into the room, their clothes would be off and Stiles would be carried to the bed. But alas, this wasn’t a steamy porno and Stiles would have to keep his dreams and fantasies deep,  _ deep, deep _ down. This was only for one night and they’d be on separate beds and Stiles would just have to ignore his feelings until they went away.

Derek finally opened the door and ushered Stiles in, closing the door behind them. The room was small and smelt weird, the couch was tiny and there was only one bed.

“Derek.”

“Stiles”

“Derek, where’s the other bed?” Stiles stared at Derek, who looked away awkwardly.

“There was only a single room left, I’m too tired to drive and find another motel. I can take the couch if you want, or sleep in the car.” He mumbled, still looking away.

“Dude, you’re like twenty feet tall, you take the bed. I can sleep on the couch, I curl up anyways.” Stiles sat down on the couch, which was hard as rock and felt like it was filled with rocks. “It’s like a cloud.”

Derek gave him a look but kicked off his boots and tossed his jacket on the back of a chair, flopping down on the bed. Stiles took this opportunity to stare at Derek, in a non creepy way of course. The way that his back curved, the features of his face, everything that he avoided looking at. 

This was going to be a very long trip. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, sorry for not updating :(( i've been really busy with school and also depression sucks and i don't have any motivation rn :(( i'll try to update sooner than later! feel free to contact me on instagram if you have any questions or even requests! -ricky


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles learns that keeping everything bottled up isn't a healthy coping method.

**STILES**

Stiles woke up screaming. Something was watching him, calling his name. He had no idea who or what it was, it was too dark and he was alone. Hands were grabbing him from every way, he was being pulled and pushed and he couldn’t stop screaming.

“Stiles!” Derek held his arms down, struggling to avoid his fists. “You’re dreaming, wake up!”   
  


He couldn’t tell if he was awake yet. He screamed and struggled, Derek all the while trying to avoid getting hit. 

“Stiles, focus on my voice. You’re dreaming, I’m here. You’re okay.” Stiles felt his face getting wet with tears and he sobbed as Derek held him.

“You’re okay. You’re safe, I’m here.” He felt himself getting led over to the bed and he gripped onto Derek’s shirt like a lifeline. 

Stiles curled up on top of the covers, shutting his eyes. He felt Derek rub his back but he didn’t turn around, he just laid there, silently sobbing. He didn’t know how much time passed, the two of them sitting as Stiles’ breaths evened out. 

“Are you okay?” Derek said softly, rubbing circles on Stiles’ back.

Stiles wished he knew. He wished that he and Derek could be something more. He wished Derek knew how much this meant to him, how much the little things helped him, how much _he_ helped him. He’s living a dream, having Derek to himself. As soon as they got back to Beacon Hills, he’d go back to being ignored by his friends and Derek would go back to being Derek. He wanted to savour these few moments, he didn’t want to say something wrong and ruin everything. 

“Stiles, you can tell me if something is wrong. We’re friends, you know?” Stiles felt his heart drop. Friends, always friends. 

“I’m fine, Derek, go back to sleep.” He went to go back to the couch but he felt Derek grab his sleeve. “What is it?”

“Just. Stay here. Please? I know how bad nightmares can be, I’ve been there and it was easier for me when I wasn’t alone. Will you stay?” Stiles stared at Derek, feeling like he was about to cry again. And then he did. 

It felt like the past few years of everything he had repressed were finally rushing out. Scott ditching him, not being good enough for the lacrosse team, figuring out he was bisexual and not being able to tell anybody, everything he couldn’t think about came rushing out all at once and he slumped against Derek, sobbing his eyes out in a shitty motel in the middle of nowhere. 

**  
**Stiles didn’t know how long he cried for but he must’ve fallen asleep at one point because when he came to again, he was laying across Derek’s chest with his arms around him and there was sun streaming through the yellowed windows. He listened to Derek’s soft snores for a few moments before realizing _Holy fucking shit I’m currently in Derek Hale’s arms,_ _I slept in Derek Hale’s arms, I like sleeping in Derek Hale’s arms?_ He wasn’t moving anytime soon so he did his best to calm his heartbeat and savour the moment but apparently his bladder wasn’t on board. 

****

Doing his best to untangle himself from Derek’s impossibly warm grasp without waking him up, Stiles found his way to the bathroom and stared in the mirror, realizing how shitty his face looked. His skin always got red and puffy after he cried and his hair was sticking up from his nightmare. Overall, he looked like a total disaster. A total disaster that just spent the night in Derek Hale’s arms. Stiles had to smile at that, as much as the past 12 hours had been incredibly emotionally draining, he did just spend the most of the night in Derek’s arms and with the few hours of sleep he had, slept the best he had in months. 

****

After some deliberation, Stiles decided to take a shower to wash the stress away. As he watched the water swirl down the drain, he started figuring out how they were going to actually find Cora. Texas wasn’t a small state, where were they even supposed to start? They only had a few hours to look for her, plus getting gas and eating. What if it wasn’t even Cora and they came all this way for nothing? The water was starting to get cold and Stiles was starting to get hungry so he grabbed a towel and dried off his hair. 

****

As he walked out of the bathroom, he realized Derek was awake and currently getting changed, his toned back on show to Stiles. He felt his face heat up and his heart skip a beat, alerting Derek of his presence. 

****

“Oh, hey. Good morning.” Derek turned around with his infuriating smile and Stiles felt like kissing him right then and there.

****

“God- Good morning. I didn’t want to wake you up. I also didn’t mean to fall asleep on you. I hope I didn’t drool.” Stiles scrambled to grab some clothes, waving his hand towards the bathroom. “I’m uh. Going to get changed.” 

****

He mentally hit himself over the head when he got back to the bathroom. Last night made something click in his mind, sleeping in Derek’s arms unhinged that one part of him that he kept locked away. All of his feelings were coming out at once and he couldn’t just ignore them anymore. Stiles didn’t know how he was going to manage being stuck in a car with him. 

****

“I’ll see you in the car, we need to get going.” Derek knocked on the door and Stiles jumped.

****

“I’ll be right out!” His voice shot up an octave and he winced. 

****

This wasn’t going to be easy.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have returned from my hiatus! Thank you all so much for waiting so long, I'll be updating more often now!- ricky


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek learns something about himself and chaos ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for the late update! I didn't have motivation to write for awhile and then I got busy but here's a short chapter! I promise I'll update faster next time :( -ricky

**DEREK**

Derek was confused. It seemed that the more he tried to ignore his feelings for Stiles, the more they showed up. He didn’t even really need his help, he could find Cora fine on his own, but he just wanted to spend some time with him away from everything. He hated how Stiles always tried to act like he was less than he was, like he wasn’t worth it. Stiles had no idea how valuable he actually was. 

He sat in the car, staring out the windshield. Last night, it took him forever to fall asleep. Stiles had woken up from a nightmare and ended up in Derek’s arms and he hadn’t fallen back asleep for another hour or so. His eyes felt heavy and he didn’t know how long he could drive for but Stiles wasn’t any better off. 

Derek felt the way that Stiles mood’s changed all the time around him and it worried him. Even if Derek was right, even if Stiles was into him, he had no idea what he was getting into. Everyone close to Derek was either dead, seriously injured or just generally fucked up.He tried to keep himself away from Stiles but somehow, he always ended up with him. Stiles unlocked that part of him that was locked away, the weak part, the vulnerable part. It terrified him.

“Hey quick question, where the fuck are we going? You do realize how big the state of Texas is, right? We can’t just pop in and out.” Stiles opened the car door and sat down, smelling like soap.

“Austin. I have the address in my phone, can you enter it into the GPS?” 

“It says that’s a random ass warehouse. Why are meetings always in abandoned warehouses? I’d love to have a meeting in a nice cafe, a McDonalds at the least.” 

He didn’t answer and drove out of the parking lot, leaving the motel behind. As they drove through nowhere, Stiles rambling off random facts about his music, Derek pointing out the wildlife, Derek realized that he hadn’t let himself be human in a long time. That’s the thing about being an alpha, if you’re not careful, you lose to the wolf inside of you. Around Stiles, he was human again. He looked over at him, at the way the sun caught in his hair, at the way his hair stuck up unevenly, at every single little detail that made Stiles the person that Derek was falling for. 

He was falling for Stiles, as simple as that. He tried to avoid the fact for months, years even, but this trip had taught him how he actually felt. 

“Stiles, I-” Derek turned to look at Stiles again but was cut off by the sound of screeching metal and the feeling of something ramming into the side of the car.

Derek felt his head jerk forward and their car spin, everything seeming to speed up. The last thing he saw before his vision faded to black was somebody dragging Stiles out of the car and into the back of a van and then a boot coming down on his face. 

  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Texan psychopaths, concussions and terrible decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again here I am with a late update and an excuse. thank you to all of my readers who are still sticking by even though I forget about this for a week and then get too depressed to write again. also how do we feel about supernatural ending and distil being canon? 2016-18 me is quaking in his converse right now -ricky <3
> 
> p.s. I'm almost finished teen wolf! I know, writing fan fiction before I'm finished the show, bad decision on my part but hopefully I'll start writing more and more!

**DEREK**

When Derek woke up again, everything hurt. He heard talking but he couldn’t quite figure out the words, his ears still ringing from the crash. He tried to move into a more comfortable position but realized his arms and legs were bound to a chair. 

“Welcome back to the world of the living, Derek Hale.” Derek looked around for the source of the voice and saw a man standing above Stiles, also bound to a chair. 

He growled and tried to break out of the bonds, the ropes burning on his bare arms. The man shook his head, pressing a gun against Stiles’ temple.

“Now now now, don’t you train your pets in Beacon Hills? Call off your dog, pretty boy.” Derek thrashed again, the man pressing the gun closer to Stiles’ temple.

“Derek, please.” Seeing Stiles’ bloody and bruised face made him freeze up.

“Good boy. Now that we’re well acquainted, I want you to answer a few questions. If you do, I’ll think about letting you go. If you don’t, your little friend here will lose his pretty head. Ya dig?” Stiles stared at him with pleading eyes and Derek nodded.

“Amazing! My family and I have been keeping an eye on you since you crossed into our territory and we’re getting curious about what you two are doing so far away from home.” The man’s Southern drawl dragged on his words and made Derek even more uneasy.

He had heard of the hunters down in the south but he was hoping that they wouldn’t have run into them. This family especially, the Arringtons, were notorious for taking out all of the werewolves in Texas. It’s dangerous to be a werewolf but in Texas, most of the supernatural creatures were deep in hiding. Just Derek’s luck though, this was going to cut a lot of time searching for Cora out of the picture. He didn’t even know how long they had been there, there were no windows in the basement. 

“What are you two doing in Texas? Remember, your little friend’s life is at stake here.” Stiles shook his head at Derek and his mind was racing, trying to choose between his sister and Stiles. “Time’s ticking, Mr. Hale.”

“My sister. My sister is alive, she’s waiting for us in Dallas, at a warehouse.” The man dropped the gun from Stiles’ temple and raised an eyebrow. 

This was all it took for Stiles who had been fumbling with the ropes behind his back. He elbowed their captor in the stomach, making him double over drop the gun. Derek ripped off the ropes with his claws, grabbing the gun and shooting the man in the leg before stumbling over to help Stiles with the ropes around his legs.

“I shook my head, that means that I had a plan. Now he knows about Cora, and who knows what else is in this room, maybe there’s cameras or it’s bugged, there could be a whole group of hunters going down to the warehouse, armed with who knows what. And what if there’s a bunch of them waiting outside for us? Your car is probably gone, and our phones, and my bat, we’re totally defenseless and in god knows where-”

“Stiles, shut up. You’ve gotten out of worse situations, we can get out of this too. Don’t start thinking about what we don’t have.” He helped Stiles up, looking around the room for an exit. “We just need to get out of here, then we can start panicking.”

“How are you not dead yet? That’s a terrible plan.” Stiles stared at him, rolling his eyes.

“Do you have a better one? I don’t see you with a grand scheme up your sleeve, you probably have a concussion, you can’t even stand on your own.” Derek stared back, raising an eyebrow. 

“You don’t look any better. And I can stand on my own, look!” Stiles leaned away from Derek, his knees buckling before Derek caught him again.

“Sure, pretty boy. Let’s go.” Derek made his way towards the door, stepping around the crying man on the floor.

“Hey, at least he called me pretty, Mr. Hale.” They both started to laugh before groaning, their ribs sore.

They made their way through twisting hallways, ducking into doorways when they heard a noise. After what felt like hours of dead ends and blocked exits, they finally found a door that led to the outside world. As Derek pushed open the door, covering his eyes from the sun, he realized that they had come out into a parking lot. 

“I’ll go find us a car, just wait here.” Derek left Stiles by the door, hesitating for a second. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this. You and Scott. Neither of you would’ve been in this situation if the whole thing in the forest hadn’t happened.” 

“Derek, that’s stupid. Stuff happens, sometimes it’s not good stuff, but it happens. If we hadn’t found the body in the forest, Beacon Hills would still be boring and I’d probably be at home, doing homework. I’m happy with where I am in life, I’m happy to be around you, even if you have terrible plans that get us kidnapped by Texan psychopaths.” Stiles grinned at Derek and he realized that even bloody and bruised, even though he was human, Stiles was the strongest out of all of them. 

  
  



End file.
